Automatic air chamber



Sept 16, 1941. J. w. ADAMS 2,256,370

AUTOMATI C AIR CHAMBER Filed Feb. 15, 1940 2 sheets-sheet 2` Y Patented Sept; 16, 1941 2,256,310 .AUTOMATIC Am CHAMBER.,

James W. Adams, Dallas, Tex., assignor to Oil y Well Supply Company, a corporation o! New Jersey Application February 15, 1940, Serial No. 319,151

9 Claims.

The present invention relates to an automatic air chamber for use in the discharge line oi reciprocating pumps, which, while not limited thereto, is peculiarly well suited for use as an attachment to a slush pump oi the type used in the drilling of deep oil wells. Heretofore, devices have been provided wherein iiuid under pressure is admitted to the air chamb rr. Since the iiuid admitted under pressure is usually air which admixes with the liquid being pumped, a constantly operating air compressor and auxiliary equipment is generally required to keep the air chamber fully charged.

It is an object of the present invention to provide means eiective to automatically admit air to a surge compartment under atmospheric conditions so as to eliminate the conventional compressor and its associated equipment heretofore generally required. Another object of the invention is to provide as an attachment to a pump a structure formed with a surgechamber and means for automatically energizing the same. For a complete disclosure of the invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings, the following speciiication, and the appended claims.

In the drawings.

Figure l is a central longitudinal section through a pump attachment illustrating one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged view, partly in elevation and partly in section, illustrating detalls of construction of the tloat valve shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan view of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a detail longitudinal section oi? the check valve shown in Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a. plan view of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a horizontal section on line VI--VI of Figure 4;

Figure '7 is a schematic view of the apparatus of Figure 1 applied to a reciprocating pump;

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 7 but illustrating a slightly modied form of the apparatus, and

Figure 9 is a schematic view illustrating a further modiflcation.

Referring in detail to the drawings, I0 represents a pump having a power-operated reciprocating piston I2 working in a cylinder I4. The pump is effective to discharge uid under pressure through a port I6 into the lower compartment I8 of an air chamber attachment indicated generally at 20. The compartment I8 communicates by way of a port 23 and a duct 24 with pipe 26 forming part oi' the discharge pipe line of the pump. The pipe 28 leads to a conventional strainer not shown.

The lower compartment I8 of the air chamber attachment, as best shown in Figure 1, is in the nature of a cored chamber formed in the casing 22. The upper part of this casing is provided with a flange 38 which is pierced by a series of bolts 32 which pass through a flange 34 constituting the lower part oi' an upper casing member 36 forming one of the component parts of the air chamber attachment. Interposed between the casings 22 and 86 there is a valve seat element 38 which bridges the passageway 48 between the lower compartment I8 and upper compartment 42, formed by the casing 36.

The valve seat element 38 has a perforated boss 44 formed thereon, whose exterior is screwthreaded for the reception of a guide tube 48 within which there is located a oat valve 48. This float valve comprises a body portion 48 of light-weight non-metallic material such as wood or cork, the exterior of which is coated with an impervious jacket 50 of synthetic rubber or its equivalent, which serves to protect the body and prolong its useful life. At its lower end the valve body has secured thereto, by a rivet 54, a fitting 56 having an outer annular bead v58 over which is tensioned a rubber ring 60 which provides a. resilient portion adapted to seat on the upper face 62 of the valve element so as to close communication between the compartments I8 and 42.

The guide tube 46 is provided with a plurality of openings 46e to permit the passage of iiuid such as air, oil, or water from the lower compartment I8 to the upper compartment 42 and vice versa, when the oat valve 48 is maintained in its open position by the buoyancy of the liquid entering the interior of the guide tube and the upper compartment 42.

The iioat valve is extremely light in order to maintain a high degree of buoyancy, so as to provide continuous movement due to the surge in that part of the upper compartment 42 outside of the guide tube 46.

Near the lower end of the casing member 22 there is a manually operable valve 64 adapted to be opened at the will of the operator, for a purpose to be hereinafter described. Near the upper part of the casing 22 are respective nipple and elbow ttings'66 and 68, which support the tubular casing 18 o f a check valve, whose upper extremity is slotted at 12. A ball valve element 14, located within the tube 10, is normally pressed upwardly by means of a spring 16, to a position tending to close the opening 12, this spring reacting against an anchorage 'I8 secured by a pin 80 within the casing, the anchorage being flat- -tened off, as indicated at 8|, to form ports which permit the passage of air or other uid to and from the compartment i8.

In the practical operation of slush pumps, it has been found that theyA are stopped, on the average, as frequently as every five minutes. In a pump equipped with the attachment of the present invention, when the pump stops, the float valve descends with the liquid flowing from the upper compartment 42, the resilient portion 80 of the float valve finally contacting the valve seat element, thus preventing any further flow of liquid from the upper chamber and at the same time preventing any further flow of liquid from the lower chamber to the discharge line, due to the vacuum formed. However, when the pressure in the compartment I8 drops below a predetermined value, the atmospheric check valve 14 opens, thus breaking the vacuum in the lower chamber and permitting the liquid therein to empty out. The compartment |8- is thereupon filled with air at atmospheric pressure. Thereafter, when the pump starts, the air is forced into the upper compartment 42, thus increasing the volume of gas therein. The foregoing cycle is repeatedat frequent intervals, due to the starting and stopping of the-pump. Thus the float valve continues to rise and fall until it is no longer submerged in the liquid, at which time it ceases to function, since, in order to remain open, the valve must be submerged in liquid. The thus described intermittent model of operation takes care of normal shut-down operations;

Toprovide means for recharging the upper -off completely the-entire air chamber, in order to remove the fluid from the lower compartment I 8. 'I'he release valve 64 in the lower chamber is adapted to be manually operated in order to remove the fiuid therefrom. This valve can be optionally used when the pump is stopped-as in the intermittent operation described above, and especially so when the pressures on both sides of the float valve become substantially equal. The modified arrangement shown in Figure 8 permits the surge chamber 42 to be charged while the pump is operating.

In the modification of the invention, illustrated schematically in Figure 9, two additional valves 84 and 86 are used for trapping between them the pressure available in the upper chamber 42, and at the same time to recharge the auxiliary surge chamber 42. Thus in the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 1 and '7, there is provided a surge chamber capable of being automatically charged in response to intermittent operation ofthe pump. In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 8 there is provided a surge chamber arranged to be charged while the operation of the pump is continuous, and in -Figure 9 there is shown a surge chamber which can be' charged while the pumping operation is continuous, at the same time providing an auxiliary surge chamber 42'L communicating with the discharge line from the pump.

While I have described quite specifically certain embodiments of the invention illustrated, it is to be understood that various modifications `may be made by those skilledin the art without departure from the invention as dened in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with a reciprocating pump, of an anti-surging device having a lower chamber connected with the discharge line of the pump and having a closed upper chamber communicating with said lower chamber, a valve controlling rthe communication between said chambers and operable to admit liquid to the upper chamber from4 the lower chamber against the air cushion in said upper chamber during the operation of the pump, said valve being closable by the return flow of liquid from the upper chamber upon stopping the pumpand thereby trap the air cushion in 'the upper chamber, said valve closing the lower chamber and `permitting the formation of a vacuum therein upon the return iiow of liquid therefrom to the -valve in the upper chamber controlling the communication between said chambers and operable to admit liquid to the upper chamber from the lower chamber against the air cushion in said upper chamber during the operation of the pump, said valve being closable by the return flow of liquid from the upper chamber upon stop- Ding fthe pump andthereby trap the air cushion in the upper chamber, said valve closing the lower chamber and permitting the formation of a vacuum therein upon the return flow of liquid therefrom to the discharge line, and an automatic valve for admitting atmospheric air to the lower chamber upon the formation of said vacuvm therein, thereby supplying additional air for said air cushion upon restarting the pump.

3. The combination with a reciprocating pump, of an anti-surging device having a lower chamber connected with the discharge line of the pump and having a closed upper chamber communicating with said lower chamber, a shut-olf valve between the lower chamber and the discharge line, a drain valve adjacent the bottom of said lower chamber, a float valve in the upper chamber Controlling the communication between said chambers and operable to admit liquid to lthe upper chamber from the lower chamber against the air cushion in said upper chamber during the operation of the pump, said oat valve being closable by a return flow of liquid from the upper chamber upon closing the shutoff and opening the drain valves, to thereby trap the air cushion in the upper chamber, said float valve closing the lower chamber and permitting the formation of a vacuum therein upon the flow of liquid therefrom through the drain valve, and

an automatic valve for admitting atmospheric between the lower chamber and the discharge line, a drain valve adjacent the bottom oi said lower chamber, a oat valve in the upper chamber controlling the communication between said chambers and operable to admit liquid to the upper chamber from the lower chamber against the air cushion in said upper chamber during the operation of the piunp, said float valve being closable by a return ilow oi liquid from the upper chamber upon closing the shut-off and opening the drain valves, to thereby trap the air cushion in the upper chamber, said float valve closing the lower chamber and permitting the formation of a vacuum therein upon the flow of liquid therefrom through the drain valve, and an automatic valve for admitting atmospheric air to the lower chamber upon the formation of said vacuum therein, thereby permitting the supplying of additional air for said air cushion while the pump is in operation, said upper chamber being separately connected with the discharge line to provide an additional surge chamber, and a shut-oil` valve in said chamber closed during the supplying of said additional air.

5. An anti-surging device adapted `to be connected to a reciprocating pump, said device having a lower chamber for communication with the discharge side of the pump and having an' vupper closed chamber communicating with the lower chamber, a valve operable by the liquid level in the upper chamber to control the ow of iluid between chambers, said valve being operable to shut ofi the communication between chambers upon a flow of uid from the upper to the lower chamber, and means for automatically admitting atmospheric air to said lower chamber upon the presence of a vacuum therein.

6. An anti-surging device' adapted to be connected to a reciprocating pump, said device having a lower chamber for communication with the discharge side of the pump and having an upper closed chamber communicating with the lower chamber, a iioat valve in the upper chamber to control the ow of uid between chambers, said a self-charging air chamber attachment connected t'o the pump discharge line comprising a lower casing having a compartment formed therein and having respective ports connecting with the pump and the discharge line, an upper casing havingv a compartment formed therein, a valve seat element interposed between said upper and lower casings, an apertured guide tube in the upper compartment securedto said element, a float valve within said tube and operable by the liquid level in the upper compartment for controlling the ow of iluid between said compartments, and means for automatically admitting air to said lower compartment when the pressure therein drops below a predetermined point.

8. In combination with a reciprocating pump, a self-charging air chamber attachment connected to the pump discharge line comprising a lower casing having a compartment formed therein and having respective ports connecting with the pump and the discharge line, an upper casing having a compartment formed therein. a valve seat element interposed between said upper and lower casings, an apertured guide tube secured to said seat element, a float valve within said tube for controlling the lflow of fluid between said compartments, and means for automatically admitting air to said lower compartment when the pressure therein drops below a predetermined point.

9. In combination with a reciprocating pump. a self-charging air chamber attachment connected to the pump discharge line comprising a lower casing having a compartment formed therein and having respective ports connecting with the pump and the discharge line, an upper casing having a compartment formed therein, a valve seat element interposed between said upper and lower casings, an apertured guide tube secured to said seat element, a valve body of buoyant material within said tube for controlling the flow of fluid between said compartments. said valve body having a protective coating of valve being operable to shut oiI the communicaimpl'vious material and carrying a resilient tion between chambers upon a iiow of iiuid from the upper to the lower chamber, and means for automatically admitting atmospheric air to said lwerighamber upon the presence of a vacuum' ere 7. In combination with a reciprocatingpump.

member at its lower extremity for coaction with said seat element, and means for automatically admitting air to said lower compartment when the pressure therein drops below a predeter- JAMES W.

. i y; g 5g mined point. 

